The field of inventions is plant feeding compositions, and in particular a plant feed for increasing the plants synthesis of plant oils and in particular terpenoid compounds, and methods of synthesizing the same via plant cells, and extraction of the same.
Some types of plant oils have terepenes, related terpenoids, including isoprenoid or compounds that contain very interesting odor molecules. More specifically, terpenoids are unsaturated hydrocarbons in aromatic plant resins, which also act as natural preservatives and protectors, and generally consist of repeating units of a 5-carbon structure called isoprene. Many plants incorporate aromatic compounds that produce a plethora of odors that have been long thought to affect our physiology through odor activation (aromatherapy). Two of these odor molecules are limonene and myrcene. These occur in a wide variety of oil producing plants, and can be described to smell like lemons and grapefruit, respectively.
Many researchers have been aware of the power of odor chemistry to affect our moods, for example, many people describe a feeling of “sunny happiness” when smelling limonene. These types of compounds end up in the glands that inhabit the “skin” of plants, and can create biological affects in our bodies when ingested. For example, the plant oils in mint can cause a feeling of relaxation when taken as a cup of tea. Terpenoids also have a long history of being antimicrobial, capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of disease-causing microbes and preventing infections.
Terpenoids compounds are hence widely used in perfume formulation, flavoring and medicinal compositions. They are produced in varying degrees by many plan species, and may be expressed in foliage, flower and fruit, many of which are edible.
To the extent such compounds have value independent of the plant, that is as a component of essential oils and flavoring and cannot be easily derived from synthetic chemical routes, it would be significant economic advantage to increase the yield of these compounds relative to the same input and use of soil, water, sun exposure and fertilizer as to grow unenhanced plants.
To the extent such compounds enhance the flavor, odor and aroma of plants, it would be desirable to increase the percentage of the same to enhance these properties, creating plants and foods with greater consumer appeal and enhanced value.
The above and other objects, effects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.